Martin Style Types

I’ve recently received a few
requests for information
about the differences amongst
the various Martin style types.
So this month, I’ll briefly cover
what those two digits next to
the letter or numbers inside
your Martin guitar represent.

C.F. Martin & Co. has
most certainly been a pioneer
in many ways when it comes
to building guitars. But in my
opinion, one of their most
important innovations was how
they began naming their guitars,
a system that is still in use
today. Martin started building
guitars in 1833, and by 1898,
they were using a standardized
system to number their instruments
by body shape and style.
The first letters or numbers
indicate the body shape (0,
00, OM, D, etc.) that are followed
by a style number (15,
18, 28, 45, etc.), and separated
by a dash. These style numbers
indicate the construction
materials and appointments
of the guitar, and this system
allows for several combinations
between body shapes and
styles. The following are the
main style-classifications for
Martin guitars.

Style 15: All-mahogany
body, no binding, rosewood
fretboard and bridge, dot
inlays, single grouping of
soundhole rings. For many
years, the Style 15 was Martin’s
least-expensive guitar and considered
a workhorse.

Style 18: Spruce top,
mahogany back and sides,
multi-ply binding (5-ply since
1932), rosewood fretboard and
bridge, dot inlays, multi-ring
soundhole ring. The Style 18
originally featured rosewood
for the back and sides, but was
changed to mahogany in 1917.
Style 18 appointments have
appeared on virtually every
Martin model and it is their
most common style.

Style 21: Spruce top,
rosewood back and sides,
single-ply black or tortoiseshell
binding, rosewood or ebony
fretboard and bridge (depending
on the model). The Style
21 was traditionally Martin’s
least-expensive model that
used rosewood.

Style 28: Spruce top,
rosewood back and sides,
multi-ply binding with a white
outer layer, ebony fretboard
and bridge, dot inlays, a back
stripe, and 5/9/5 grouping
of soundhole rings. Style 28
instruments are often regarded
as the best-playing, best-sounding
Martins.

Style 35: Spruce top, 3-piece
rosewood back, a bound fretboard,
and additional blackand-
white lines inlaid beneath
the bindings. Otherwise, Style
35 is very similar to the Style
28. The 3-piece back was introduced
because large enough
pieces of Brazilian rosewood for
2-piece backs were becoming
increasingly difficult to obtain
in the 1960s.

Style 45: Similar to the
Style 42, except for the additional,
abalone-pearl inlays
around the sides, back, neck
heel, and endpiece. For standard
production, the Style
45 represents top-of-the-line
appointments for Martin, and
many Style 45 instruments—
including the D-45 and
OM-45—are some of the most
valuable guitars on the vintage
guitar market today.

Other common styles
include the Style 16, which
was first used on classical guitars
in the 1960s, but is now
represented on Martin’s modern,
production instruments.
The Style 17—very similar to
the Style 15—was phased out
as a regular production model
by 1960 because of their similarities.
There is also the Style
41, similar to the Style 42, but
without abalone pearl around
the fretboard. In fact, there
are style classifications for just
about every number between 1
and 45—some only produced
in the 1800s, others more
modern, and some in very
small quantities.

This was and still is a well-devised
system. Most Martin
instruments can be identified
and correctly classified by the
number stamped inside the
guitar. Of course there are
exceptions—some minor and
some major—as Martin’s styles
have changed and evolved over
time. Major changes include
the switch from Brazilian
rosewood to Indian rosewood
in 1969 and ivory binding to
ivoroid in the early 1900s. But
for the most part, this is an
enduring classification system.

Martin produces acoustic
guitars for just about every
price point and there are several
books available that explain
Martin’s styles in detail. With
a little research, you can find
out if your Martin is indeed a
treasure!

Zachary R. Fjestad
is author of Blue Book of
Acoustic Guitars, Blue Book
of Electric Guitars, and Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
For more information, visit
bluebookinc.com or email
Zach at guitars@bluebookinc.com.

Zachary R. Fjestad is a freelance writer who specializes in guitars and amplifiers including the history behind them and their current value. Fjestad has been evaluating and appraising guitars for over 20 years. For more information, email Zachary at zacharyfjestad@hotmail.com.

Stay Connected

Sign up for our email newsletters!

Get the PG Apps

On PremierGuitar.com, "Sponsored Content" refers to articles, videos, or audio recordings that are produced or curated by an advertiser but that Premier Guitar is happy to share alongside our own editorial content due to the Sponsored Content’s educational, musical, or entertainment value. Sponsored Content is clearly labeled everywhere it appears, and Premier Guitar's editorial department has no involvement in its creation.